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  • Hello!

  • I'm RyanF9 and this is the best heated gear.

  • No need to start complicatedThermacell Pocket Warmer.

  • You're probably familiar with the disposable version of thismy mom used to hand 'em

  • out like candy during family ski trips.

  • They cost like a toonie.

  • So why, oh why, buy the fancy electronic warmer for 85 bucks?

  • For onethe lithium ion battery has a good 500 charges in it.

  • So at 17 cents per use it's actually cheaper.

  • For twoit's more effective.

  • The heat only comes out the red side, so you're not losing half your energy to Mother Nature.

  • And that, is how we prevent global warming.

  • For threethe heat is adjustable.

  • Hold the button once for around body temperature, hold it twice for a bit more, and three times

  • for a peak temp of 47 degrees celsius-ish.

  • Obviously the number will fluctuate if you're riding Toronto in August or Winnipeg in October

  • it's not that well regulated.

  • But still world's better than the old disposables.

  • With them you would burn for 30 seconds, sweat like a pig for 20 minutes, and then freeze

  • solid an hour later.

  • Heating like that actually does more harm than good.

  • Stats!

  • The unit charges with a USB to micro-USBalso known as that cable you have, like, 3

  • of in the back of your drawer.

  • It takes 4 hours to fully charge and heats for 6 hours on low, 5 on medium and 4 on high

  • again depending on whether or not you live in Winnipeg.

  • The shell is shock and water-resistant TPU

  • I'd prefer to hear the wordproof.”

  • Also the heating pad is medical-grade siliconejust in case you wanted to get this implanted.

  • Now, having a warmer in your pocket is one thing, but I'd get a vest liner if it's

  • really cold outside.

  • This is the Tourmaster Synergy 2.0 and it costs 275 bucks.

  • You can get full jacket liners for more money, or proper heated jackets for even more.

  • But I think this is great because you can keep whatever motorcycle jacket you already

  • have over top.

  • And since it keeps my core hot, my arms get plenty of warm blood flow anyway.

  • The thing about the Synergy is that it has a built-in thermometer.

  • That means it stays at the temperature you set it.

  • So when you ride out on a chilly morning, you don't have to constantly keep turning

  • the heat down as the day gets warmer.

  • Also the thermometer acts as a failsafejust in case you connect this thing to a 1000-volt

  • battery and its 15A fuse fails to blow... the thermometer will shut the vest off at

  • dangerous temperatures so you don't cook yourself.

  • Speaking of which, it is actually safe to use this thing in the rain.

  • Feels wrong for something lined with steel-fibre elements, but it's true.

  • In fact if you remove the wiring harness and temperature controller, the Synergy vest is

  • machine washable.

  • Two things I like, and one I don't.

  • First bit of good news is the collar, which is tall enough to cover your neck.

  • Everyone knows there's lots of blood flow in the neck, and every motorcyclist knows

  • that area is prone to getting blasted with cold air.

  • Second benefit is heat delivery.

  • Hook it up to the 12V in your motorcycle and boom, you're warm.

  • I was amazed by how instantly I felt the heat.

  • Just make sure you layer above the liner and not below.

  • There's only 100 grams of polyfill in here, so you'll definitely want some kind of insulating

  • jacket over top, but under the liner you want something thin and breathable – a quick-wicking

  • athletic shirt will let you best feel the heat.

  • The one thing I don't like is the controller.

  • Why is this so big, 2017?

  • Aren't we past this?

  • Any electronic that comes with a thigh harness is too large.

  • I do appreciate that it's a double controller in case you want to add some Synergy gloves

  • or somethingbut damn.

  • Speaking of glovesavoid heated ones.

  • Because of the focus on warmth, they tend to do a pretty shit job of motorcycle safety.

  • The only decent ones I've found come from Gerbing, and they're so expensive.

  • The alternative is to buy heated liners to wear under your regular riding gloves.

  • But then again, it's a bit uncomfortable and seriously vague when it comes to the contact

  • feel on your bike's controls.

  • There has to be a better way.

  • And there is!

  • Oxford makes some killer heated grips that allow me to keep my gloves and my tactile

  • response.

  • They come from Britain: a place where cold and wet rides are known simply asrides.

  • The Heaterz Grips dole out the warmth in five levels,

  • which is more than enough.

  • In fact at 100% it's almost painful to keep my hands on here.

  • Of course the top of my fingers still get cold, so I normally wear a decent insulated

  • glove anyway.

  • The grips themselves feel great.

  • Where your hands rest, there's a dense block tread for maximum vibration cancellation and

  • durability.

  • Then I get a grippier diamond pattern where I actively grip the throttle.

  • Best thing about the Oxford Heaterz is the battery saving modeif you forget to turn

  • them off, they'll automatically go into standby when your motorcycle isn't running.

  • That way you won't come back to a dead bike.

  • Speaking of which, these only draw 4 amps, so they won't kill your bike via the fuse

  • box either.

  • Installation takes about an hoursimple wiring from the battery and simple glue-on

  • grips.

  • The most laborious part will be cutting off the old ones.

  • Also it takes a bit of creativity to find a place for this.

  • Oxford makes fitments for ADV, sport, cruiser, touring, commuting, ATV and scooterthe

  • difference is just the inside diameter and the length.

  • Aside from hands, the other extremity you'll need to worry about is your feet.

  • I'll do the song and dance one more time.

  • Yes you can buy heated boots.

  • Yes they're overpriced because they're heated.

  • And no, they're usually not as competent as regular motorcycle boots.

  • Better to use a heated insole with the footwear you already have.

  • The best of which is the Thermacell ProFLEX.

  • Stats are similar to that other Thermacell Heat Pad thing.

  • Up to six hours on the lowest setting, four or less on high.

  • The difference I noticed is that these don't feel as hot to the touch.

  • They're more about maintaining a constant positive temperature in your boots so your

  • feet neither sweat nor freeze.

  • Whatever.

  • The most useful thing I can say is that they kept me comfortable.

  • On the bike, that is.

  • The insoles are quite stiff for walking while the cushion-covered battery is extremely soft.

  • So you can feel it's outline on your heel with each step and that's annoying.

  • But again, on the bike, it's fine.

  • Thermacell brags about this carrying case, which is cheap and undoubtedly something I'll

  • never use, so that's that.

  • They should have spent more time talking about the battery case, which doubles as a dual-charging

  • station, connected via this USB-micro-USB cable to a computer or this wall plug.

  • Four hours to charge two batteriesone for each foot.

  • You'll want to wear thin athletic socks for best results, as was true with the vest

  • we saw.

  • Also sizing is imprecise so get your scissors ready.

  • If heated insoles are so interesting to you that you bother to check out the competition,

  • you'll notice that Thermacell makes a Heavy Duty version for 20 bucks more and anoriginal

  • model for 50 dollars less.

  • The Heavy Duty version can quick-charge in 2 hours, which I suspect isn't great for

  • the battery.

  • And it's also controlled via Bluetooth and a rather-finicky smartphone app.

  • Personally I prefer the simple remote.

  • But if fiddling with your iPhone in -40 appeals to you, by all means, spend more on the Heavy

  • Duty version.

  • And if you're tempted to spend less on the original version, know that it doesn't have

  • removable batteries, so you'll have to take the insoles out every time you want to charge

  • them.

  • And that's it for my favourite heated gear.

  • Thanks for watching.

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